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**Written by Doug Powers

This seems to be a smaller scale sequel of sorts to the “Obama money” chaos in Detroit in 2009.

Some people in the Bronx have given out their Social Security and driver’s license numbers in return for… nothing apparently:

This time, people in NYC are lining up because they heard that people were getting a debit card loaded with as much as $1,000 of stimulus money. However, based on the latest information, there is no money to be given away. And yet people continue to line up and turn over their sensitive, personal information.

E & M Multi-Services is a tax preparation service that operates out of the back of a “dollar store” in the Fordham section of the Bronx. The company is reportedly collecting copies of Social Security cards, state ID cards and in exchange people are given a debit card from First California Bank. One small problem with this program — the cards are not loaded with $1,000 — not from Obama or anyone. Although, at least one person on the scene believed that the card would contain funds from President Obama: “They said it was money from Obama.”

The story from WABC:

So where were the authorities? If the people running this operation had been handing out cigarettes and corn dogs, a rapid response team from Mayor Bloomberg’s health department would have had them shut down before WABC would have been able to start recording.

The bank is telling people trying to use the cards that they’ve been frozen due to a fraud investigation. Shocker.

There’s a chance that if these folks go to vote in November, they’ll discover they already have done so. In that case all they’d have to do is go to Washington DC — I hear it’s pretty easy to get somebody else’s ballot down there.

**Written by Doug Powers

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